Chapter 5: Poolside Chaos Aftermath

After the chaos of the night, the very least I could do was make sure my accidental wolf guest didn’t track wet footprints all over the place.
Which is how I found myself standing in the master bathroom, watching a half-drenched Lunaria poke suspiciously at the bathtub controls.

"This is... complicated," she mumbled, jabbing the buttons like they might bite her.

"It's literally just 'on' and 'off'," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Here. Like this."

I leaned over and twisted the knob, and instantly the tub began to fill with warm, steaming water. Lunaria's eyes lit up like a child seeing a magic trick.

"Amazing!" she gasped, practically vibrating with excitement.

At this point, it was clear she wasn't going to figure out how to properly shower anytime soon.
I sighed, grabbing a fluffy towel and rolling up my sleeves.
"Sit," I ordered, pointing at the small stool near the shower area.

Lunaria plopped down without hesitation, tail wagging eagerly behind her.

I grabbed the detachable shower head, adjusted the temperature, and began gently rinsing her silver hair.
She made a small, happy noise, like a cat being petted, and tilted her head so I could reach easier.

Up close like this, it was impossible not to notice her wolf ears were twitching faintly, poking out from between her hair, still slightly damp and droopy.

Curiosity gnawed at me until I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"...Can I touch them?" I asked, feeling a little stupid the second the words left my mouth.

Lunaria blinked up at me, surprised, then shyly nodded.
"Okay... but be gentle."

I reached out carefully, brushing my fingertips over one of her ears.

Soft. Warm. Real.

As I touched her ears, Lunaria let out a soft, contented hum and, without even thinking, scooted closer to my hand.
She tilted her head up, her silver hair clinging to her damp cheeks, and smiled at me.
A small, tender smile so genuine and pure it made something flutter painfully in my chest.

The sensation shot a jolt straight through me.
There was no illusion here. No costume. No dream.
This girl, this wolf girl, was real.

And then, for the first time, I really saw her...
Her flushed cheeks, the water clinging to her eyelashes, her slender shoulders, her barely covered chest—

I yanked my hand back like I'd been electrocuted.

"I'm... leaving you to it!" I blurted, grabbing a towel and tossing it over her head before I could make an even bigger fool of myself.
"You can figure the rest out yourself!"

Before she could protest, I practically fled the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me.

I leaned my back against the door, clutching my chest as if that would somehow slow the wild hammering of my heart.

What the hell was that?!
Sure, Lunaria was cute, no, she was dangerously cute. But why was my heartbeat going crazy?
I wasn't like those weird anime protagonists who fell for the first pretty face they saw, right?

I shook my head rapidly, trying to banish the absurd thoughts.

It was just... exhaustion. And stress.
Definitely not because a silver-haired wolf girl smiled at me like I was her whole world.

Definitely not.

Through the thick wood, I heard a small, disappointed whine.

I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned into my hands.

This was going to be a long, long night.

xXx

After calming my racing heart (or at least trying to), I dragged Lunaria to one of the many empty guest rooms in my apartment.

Setting up a room for a hyperactive wolf girl was not how I expected to spend my night.

Especially not with Lunaria spinning around like a caffeinated tornado behind me.

"This one! This one smells the nicest!" she chirped, twirling in the center of a freshly cleaned, fully furnished guest room. Her silver hair floated behind her like a streamer, and her fluffy tail wagged so hard it knocked over one of the decorative pillows.

"They all smell the same," I said flatly, leaning against the doorframe and watching the madness unfold.

"Nope! This one smells like you!" she beamed, face buried in one of the velvet chairs.

I decided it was best for my sanity if I just... didn't comment.

Instead, I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.
"Alright, wolf girl. How exactly did you end up crashing into my rooftop pool?"

Lunaria flopped dramatically onto the massive bed, hugging a pillow to her chest like it was her only lifeline.

She kicked her legs a little, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"Well... I used to live in the big woods!" she said brightly. "With lots of other wolves like me!"

Her voice stayed cheerful, but there was a strange loneliness hiding underneath.

"But they didn’t want me around anymore..." she continued, ears drooping slightly. "So they chased me out."

I felt a small twinge in my chest.

"I walked and walked for a really long time," she said, tail curling around her legs. "I ate some fruits, but I was still super hungry. Then I smelled something really, really nice!"
Her eyes lit up again, full of simple wonder.
"So I chased it! I hopped from rooftop to rooftop 'cause it was faster!" She mimed big leaps with her arms, grinning wide. "And then... boop! Splash! Right into your pool!"

She clapped her hands together like it was some grand accomplishment.

I stared at her, absolutely bewildered.
There were so many things wrong with that story that my brain just refused to process it.

"...You could’ve died," I finally said.

"Nope! I'm tough and bouncy!" she chirped proudly, bouncing lightly on the bed to prove her point.

I dragged a hand down my face, letting out a long, suffering groan.

Lunaria rolled around a few more times on the bed, completely unaware of the crisis she was causing me, before suddenly popping up to her knees.

"Hey, Mio!" she chirped, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

I blinked.
Once.
Twice.

Then promptly short-circuited.

"No," I said immediately, folding my arms in the most defensive way possible. "Absolutely not."

"But whyyyy?" Lunaria whined, her tail drooping as she crawled closer to the edge of the bed, pouting up at me with big, pleading eyes. "I'm all alone... it's scary in a new place... what if I get lonely and cry?"

I pressed my palm against my forehead, struggling to summon even a shred of willpower.

"No. You're not a puppy. You're not going to cry."

Lunaria gave a tiny, sad whimper, hugging the pillow tighter against her chest.
Her ears drooped so dramatically that it was almost pitiful.

And somehow, somehow, she even managed to make her blue eyes shimmer with unshed tears.

I cracked.

Hard.

I let out a long, tortured sigh.
"...Fine," I muttered, already regretting every life choice that brought me to this point. "Just for tonight."

In an instant, Lunaria lit up like a firework, scrambling off the bed and launching herself at me.

"Yay! Thank you, Mio! You're the best!"

I barely caught her before she tackled me straight to the floor.

"Not so rough!" I hissed, trying to pry her off.

She just giggled, rubbing her cheek against my shoulder like an overexcited dog.

I somehow wrestled us both upright again, my face burning with embarrassment.

Tonight, I decided grimly, was going to be a battle for survival.

And it wasn’t Lunaria’s strength I was worried about.
It was my own rapidly crumbling self-control.